The Small Rewards of Duck Hunting

Kyle Wintersteen,

Senior Associate Editor

He walks through the door utterly exhausted, a touch of frostbite on his fingers obtained while picking up decoys. All he wants is a large amount of food and a light brown beverage, but ducks must be plucked and guns must be oiled. Such is life for a man who lives for waterfowl season.

If you consider yourself a duck hunter but have never looked to the skies from your blind and asked, "What am I doing here?" either you have no care for your financial or physical well-being, or you aren't paying attention. We spend more money on guns, boats, decoys and other waterfowl accoutrements than any mother-in-law would ever approve of, just to lather it all in marsh slop. Our trucks are dented from sliding down icy boat ramps, and their wiring is shot from the strain of trailer-light illumination. It's too hot in teal season, too darn cold by the time the mallards arrive. The wind either blows too hard, not hard enough or in the wrong direction. Or it rains—not just a sprinkle, but a downpour in which no self-respecting duck would ever fly. Unfortunately for us, old Fred believes ducks fly in the rain, and if one member of the group wants to hunt, we all hunt.

So, as we partake in this exercise in cognitive dissonance, let us consider the following: What's the reward for all this trouble? It isn't trophies, at least not the kind recognized by Boone and Crockett, but it is a fallacy to say there are no trophies in duck hunting. Just as deer hunters enter the woods knowing this could be the day they shoot a Booner, the duck hunter knows any day in the marsh could be the one in which he finally kills a drake canvasback, an old bull sprig or four drake mallards.

Yes, waterfowling has its rewards. For many of us it is the beauty and diversity of the ducks themselves that drive our souls, and we know that when John Cartier wrote that he'd "rather shoot one 24-ounce bluebill than six tons of elephant," he meant it, for we have felt duck hunting's call.

We know that when a duck hunter eyes a dozen mallards cupping their wings and pitching into the blocks—whether he is a Midwest farm boy on a backyard pothole or a New York lawyer hunting with a guide—he is the richest man alive. On a good day, the hunter may experience this treat several times and, as he returns home with two or three mallards, he'd swear he is a king.

Soon the rich aroma of roasting ducks and Hoppe's No. 9 fills the home. The news reports storms to the north. Bingo! That's all that's needed for the duck hunter to develop an irrational optimism for tomorrow.

Bedtime comes early. A worn out black Lab with a graying muzzle lies at the foot of the bed. A very understanding "duck-hunting widow" is under the sheets.Just before he dozes off, the duck hunter reflects upon the day's events, kids himself that nobody's ever had it so good and considers the plan for the morning—a strong westerly wind is expected; the ducks will probably tuck back in the slough. By 4 a.m. he'll be ready to do it all over again.

So, while befuddled observers ponder our willingness to suffer waterfowling's best miseries, we'll continue seeking its many rewards. For even as we flare the only ducks of the day, our dog breaks on a passing swan and we discover too late that high tide is 3 inches higher than our decoy lines are long, we know our sport is worth every ounce of frustration. We will hunt until the season ends or the ice is too thick to sledgehammer open. Then we'll busy ourselves painting decoys, patching waders and repairing marriages until fall's glorious return brings with it flights of ducks and another opening day. For despite its hardships, the duck hunter knows he is a participant in the greatest recreation ever invented.

Did You Know?

Set up active decoys where you don't want geese to land. Use sleeping and resting decoys to signal the area has been checked out and it's safe enough to drop in and nap.

RAM 3500 HEAVY DUTY Few truck brands have more all-around style – and none is more visionary – than Ram. The new Ram Heavy Duty is four big wheels of hard-charging proof. It’s more than a long list of best-in-class features: towing – 30,000 lbs.,1 torque – 850 lb-ft, and an unsurpassed 5-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty.2 It’s design, comfort, quality, and legendary power (6.7L Cummins® Turbo Diesel). Everything you need, nothing you don’t.

RAM PROMASTER The all-new Ram ProMaster is here to give other vans an education in capacity with a best-in-class payload3 and 530 cubic feet of cargo space – more than Ford and Chevy. Available in versatile models including cargo, cutaway, chassis, and window, it’s designed to let your reputation cast a longer shadow.

RAM 1500 OUTDOORSMAN It’s virtually indestructible, can be driven every day of the year, and goes from soccer practice to fishing holes faster than you can yell, “Goal!” It’s the Ram Outdoorsman–Motor Trend’s 2013 Truck of the Year®. With best-in-class 25 MPG highway fuel economy,3 standard-class IV trailer hitch, and trailer wiring hookups, versatility is no longer a wholly owned subsidiary of those Nordic Alpine knife makers.

Like the fossilized skeletons of its ancestors displayed in the Smithsonian, a 12-foot alligator can be scary even when it's dead—something that Shooting Illustrated's Adam Heggenstaller learned in person during a gator hunt in Florida. Read More »